Welcome to the UPhA Web-site!            Being a Member of UPhA adds to the strength of the profession and to the power of our united voice!  This site is a central reference point designed for pharmacy professionals. We endeavor to meet your needs through Legislative Support and Advocacy, Communication, and Education.    We encourage you to get involved with our Association.  Members or prospective members can pay for Membership Dues right here on our site. And those wishing to attend our Conventions and Conferences can avoid the paperwork and register and pay for events right here on line. We invite you to explore what we have to offer, and we welcome your comments.       Right now, join us out on Facebook, and choose LIKE us: Reid L. Barker, Executive Director 435-462-5323
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Future Dates for Annual Conventions at the St. George Dixie Center May 17-19, 2012           April 18-20, 2013 March 27-29, 2014           April 16-18, 2015

Save The Date! Join the Fun During the Day January 31st, 2012

  I m p o r t a n t    N e w s
 

Congressional End of Year Activity: On Friday, December 10th, House Republicans released a legislative package to address several expiring tax provisions and issues, including an extension of a payroll tax cut and provisions to address a scheduled 27% cut in Medicare payments to physicians in 2012.  The legislation includes several provisions to offset the cost of these measures, but none appear to directly impact community pharmacies.  While the legislation is expected to clear the House next week, the outlook for the legislation in the Senate is uncertain at best. Should the package itself be considered in the Senate, it will likely be changed significantly from its current form to garner support from the Senate Democratic majority. While monitoring year-end developments closely, NCPA staff will continue to advocate for measures to preserve and improve patients' access to their community pharmacies.

NCPA Testifies at Senate Express Scripts-Medco Merger Hearing: On December 6, the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy, and Consumer Rights held a hearing entitled, "The Express Scripts/Medco Merger: Cost Savings for Consumers or More Profits for the Middlemen?"  NCPA held meetings with all members of the Subcommittee in anticipation of the hearing. Sue Sutter, a community pharmacist from Horicon, Wisconsin represented independent community pharmacists at the hearing. She emphasized the challenges facing the community pharmacy business model which is forced to contract with PBMs for low reimbursements while also being forced to compete against the PBMs' very own mail order facilities.
The Senators in attendance (among them, Mike Lee, R-UT) asked pointed questions about the merger's impact on community pharmacies and expressed skepticism regarding the merged company's potential power over the contracts, over employers and pharmacies, and in the areas of mail order and specialty pharmacy. Sen. Herb Kohl (D-WI), the Subcommittee Chair also noted that employers had told him that they were unwilling to testify or be on the record regarding the merger for fear of retaliation from the PBMs in their contracts. 

Utah Pharmacy Contingency Visits Washington DC.  During the last week of October, Reid Barker, Dean Jolley, Donna Gibbons, and Bob Linnell visited with Utah's three Congressional offices along with both Senate offices.  At the close of November, in preparation for the hearing about the ExpressScripts/Medco merger, Reid Barker returned to DC along with Evan Vickers, Brian Palfreyman and Terry Sellers to discuss the matter in detail with Senator mike Lee and Senator Orrin Hatch, helping them understand the serious impact this could have on Community Pharmacy in Utah.
Michigan Representatives Raise Concerns about Express Scripts-Medco Merger: On Thursday, Reps. Bill Huizenga (R-MI) and Candice Miller (R-MI) wrote to FTC Chairman Jon Leibowitz to express concerns regarding the proposed ESI-Medco merger. NCPA greatly appreciates Reps. Huizenga and Miller raising concerns about the merger and its impact on patient care and community pharmacies.

NCPA Acts to Block Harmful Medicaid Generic Rates: NCPA is working with Members of Congress on letters to CMS, asking that the agency not implement the current draft Medicaid FUL lists for generics until at least a final regulation is published. Rep. Bruce Braley (D-IA) and Rep. Mike Rogers (R-MI) are have joined together to generate bipartisan support for the AMP letter.  Rep. Charlie Gonzalez (D-TX) circulated the AMP letter with the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.  The three draft lists released to date show that the draft FULs would significantly underpay community pharmacies for Medicaid generic drugs. 


House Judiciary Subcommittee Hearing on Antitrust Issues:  The Subcommittee on Intellectual Property, Competition and the Internet in the House Committee on the Judiciary held a Hearing entitled "Oversight of the Antitrust Enforcement Agencies." While the hearing covered a wide range of issues, NCPA did submit a statement for the record expressing concerns with PBM practices, opposition to the Express Scripts-Medco merger, and support for firewall to address anti-competitive behavior of CVS Caremark.. Jon Leibowitz, Chairman of Federal Trade Commission and Sharon Pozen, Acting Assistant Attorney General, Department of Justice Antitrust Division testified before subcommittee members.  Rep. Judy Chu (D-CA) mentioned that many of her constituents have expressed concerns with the proposed Express Scripts-Medco merger, and she raised questions as to how the merger would impact consumers if it were to be approved.  Leibowitz responded by saying that the FTC is investigating the proposed merger closely while also mentioning that community pharmacists have contacted him to express their concerns.

NCPA Holds Members Forum on 2012 Medicare Changes: The Advocacy Center provided an update this week to members regarding important Medicare-related changes that will go into effect in 2012.  Topics covered included valid prescriber identifiers on Medicare Part D prescriptions, new Part D special election periods, Medicare star ratings and associated quality measures, standardized written appeals notice, transition to NCPDP Version D.0, submission of 4Rx data, and Medicare Part B Revalidation. NCPA will be sending a checklist to all members next week covering these changes and plans to post a FAQ to our website next week.
 

NCPA Asks EPA to Keep Primatene on Market:  OTC Primatene Mist will be prohibited from being sold, distributed or offered for sale after December 31, 2011.  NCPA had previously submitted comments to FDA expressing our concerns in assuring that patients and patient care providers are fully informed about the need to transition to alternative treatments for proper asthma management.  The FDA has not extended the deadline for the sale of these products, and the enforcement from EPA is set to begin January 1, 2012.  NCPA reached out to the EPA asking the Agency for an enforcement extension of six months until June 30, 2012 and urged the EPA to exercise discretion to ensure that asthma patients have OTC access to Primatene Mist until the existing supply (including units ordered and received prior to December 31, 2011) are exhausted.